The aftermath of McLaren’s challenging outing at the Dutch Grand Prix has left Lando Norris disheartened.
Despite a strong weekend at Zandvoort and starting the race from a promising second on the grid, the British driver and his teammate Oscar Piastri, from Australia, found themselves grappling with the consequences of a costly strategic choice.
As rain poured down on the circuit during the opening lap of the race, nearly every team swiftly opted to pit and switch from soft tires to intermediate tires due to the worsening weather conditions.
However, McLaren made the critical decision to stay out on the track with the soft compound, which quickly proved detrimental.
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The tactical miscalculation led to Norris and Piastri falling to the back of the grid, requiring an uphill battle to regain positions and earn points.
After the race, Norris expressed his frustration with the strategic blunder and urged a thorough review of the events.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he remarked, “Not too satisfied (with the result). The second half of the race was good.”
Norris elaborated on the misstep, stating, “But we just lost everything in the beginning with the decision to stay out on the slicks when it was too wet.
“We just lost a lot more than we ever should have done.
“So that was pretty much, not game over, but just that threw everything away that we worked hard for yesterday, so a bit frustrating from that side.”
Acknowledging the team’s efforts to recover, Norris highlighted the challenges faced on the track.
“We fought back well, just we didn’t have the best of race cars today, it was too tricky in dirty air,” he noted.
He also emphasised the team’s struggles in specific sectors of the track, impeding their ability to compete effectively.
The driver’s dissatisfaction extended to the communication and decision-making process within the team.
Norris pointed out discrepancies in the information provided and emphasised the need for a review: “It was just different information and nothing was just clear enough, something for us to review let’s say.”
He recounted his surprise when he was overtaken early in the race and questioned the decision to stay out.
“After the first lap when I was second and I got overtaken so easily by (Sergio) Perez, I was surprised we stayed out in the first place,” Norris recounted.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the missed opportunities resulting from the strategic missteps.
Stella commented, “After a busy race, with changing weather conditions, we finish P7 and P9, scoring some important points.
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“But the reality is we could have got more today as we missed a couple of opportunities.”
Reflecting on Norris’s race, Stella highlighted the hesitance in calling Norris to the pits at the start of the race, a decision that ultimately had repercussions.
Stella admitted, “With Lando, we hesitated too much at the start of the race before pitting for intermediate tyres.”